Little Big Planet

Before I start let me give a frame of reference concerning the reviewer: I'm a 26 year old male, and I speak on behalf of what I've thought and heard from my peers (both female and male).

Whether it has been explicitly said or not, LittleBigPlanet (LBP) is a creative masterpiece that revolutionizes what games can be while being appropriate for all ages.

First, the game does not derive its fun factor from massacring other humans, aliens, or god knows whats. In a time where it seems like most game developers have the deluded idea that a game must involve violence to be good (no thanks to Microsoft's firm 'killing is the best fun' policy), LBP stands out as one of a kind. How strange that we humans would want games to be 'realistic' when reality is realistic enough! Surely an imaginary world is better than copying our own imperfectly and with its imperfections.

Second, LBP's gameplay is excellent both in its single-player and multi-player modes. The multi-player modes are admittedly more fun, and they're accessible either online or on a single PS3. The game's replay value is high, both because the disc levels are full of things to collect, and because there are many creative user-designed levels online. The platforming is reminiscent of older game generations like the SNES and Genesis/Megadrive, while simultaneously being new both artistically and as far as the character interaction mechanics are involved.

Third, LBP delivers a good platforming experience, but where it really amazes is in the level of customization it allows. Your sackperson (the character) can be dressed up, can be made to wear different expressions, can have all its joints/limbs move (e.g. you can make him/her dance), can have stickers placed on itself and its environment, and finally can even have its own world created from the ground up (i.e. you can make your objects which eventually can go into your own level). I think this customization is really what makes LBP stand apart from all other games. An adult can enjoy and be truly challenged by this, it really does push the limits of creativity. Even more importantly, if one has children, I cannot stress how good LBP can be for a child's mind. It is creative, light-hearted, and accessible (with parental help), offering an experience that is on par with constructing a world out of Lego pieces. I really don't think any game offers that. The Wii, for all the hype its gotten, is yet to offer a game that is even in the same ballpark as LBP.

Finally, Sackboy/Sackgirl is an incredible character. Nothing so cute, personable or memorable has been introduced in years. I would surely think that 10 or 20 years down the line, Sackperson will still be with us, much like other gaming mascots like Mario. The fact is that sackboy/girl has been given such a range of animations, emotions and appearances that I find it hard to believe that any human will not be taken in by this fictional character.

Needless to say, I fully recommend this game. Not only because it's a worthy investment, but also because I feel we need to reward those who work on producing true art. It would be a shame if a game like this went unrewarded, perceived to be worse then the many first person shooters that crowd the market with their ideals of murder. We might one day end up with nothing but them, and that would be a real tragedy.

Rami

First off, I recommend this game for everyone. Little Big Planet manages to remain seemingly simple yet so complex, having appeal for both the casual and hardcore gamer.

The game is visually stunning. Top notch graphics are matched with massive amounts of onscreen objects, allowing for some elements of gameplay that have never been seen before. Customizability is also key to this game, for both character appearances and level creations. Things are always looking different, and this keeps the gameplay staying fresh.

Little Big Planet's sleek online community is truly amazing. It runs very smooth. Finding others to play with is very easy, and online connections run very smooth.

There are only a couple of minor issues with the game's controls which may be updated in the future. But none of the issues really hurt the pure fun and quality of the game.

In short - If you think you might like it, you probably will.

When I bought this game my wife looked at it and said "seems like a little kids game". After a couple of hours of seeing me play she asked to play. Later on she would not let me play my game! I went out and bought another controller for her.

We both have a great time playing this game, there is a main story line and with each new level you can unlock side levels that are also fun. There are also a ton of online levels organized by a very cool tag system so you can tag a game with things like: fun, large, challenging, etc.

For those people looking for a game to play with their spouse I would say this is a pretty good one!

Cheers.